Ryan Reynolds homes in on "Safe House" thriller

<p>Actor Ryan Reynolds, who will play the lead in the upcoming Warner Bros motion picture "Green Lantern", smiles for the cameras at Comic Con in San Diego, California July 24, 2010.Mike Blake</p>

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Ryan Reynolds is emerging as the frontrunner for a coveted role opposite Denzel Washington in the thriller "Safe House."

The storyline follows the only surviving agent of an attack on a CIA safe house (Reynolds) as he tries to get a lethal prisoner (Washington) to a second safe house before being taken out by violent forces that want them both dead.

Daniel Espinosa will direct the Universal project from a script by David Guggenheim, an Us Weekly editor who worked nights on the story. Espinosa met or considered Tom Hardy, Zac Efron, James McAvoy, Sam Worthington and Shia LaBeouf, as well as Reynolds. An offer is expected imminently.

Reynolds is currently shooting "Green Lantern," which will be released next year by Warner Bros., and is attached to star in Universal's supernatural police project, "R.I.P.D." as well as Fox's "Wolverine" spinoff, "Deadpool." Both are in active development and are narrowing in on directors.

The Canadian actor also stars in "Buried," a thriller that opens October 8.